JAKARTA - Donald Trump became the first former president of the United States to face criminal charges regarding an investigation into giving mouth shut money to porn film star Stormy Daniels.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said he received the money in exchange for keeping his mouth shut about the sexual relations he had with Trump in 2006.
Meanwhile, former president's personal attorney Michael Cohen said he coordinated with Trump over payments to Daniels and other women, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also said she had sexual relations with him. Trump has denied having an affair with the two women.
The allegations from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, emerged that Trump was trying to get a Republican nomination to run again in 2024.
His specific allegations are not yet known, as the indictment is still sealed. CNN reports that Trump faces more than 30 charges related to business fraud.
Trump said he was "completely innocent" and indicated he would not get out of his candidacy. He accused Bragg, a Democrat, of trying to undermine his chances of winning the election again.
"This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history," Trump said in a statement.
Trump in 2018 initially denied knowing anything about payments to Daniels. He later admitted to replacing Cohen's money for the payments, which he described as "a simple private transaction."
Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign financial breach in 2018 and served a sentence of more than one year in prison. Federal prosecutors said he was acting at Trump's direction.
Cohen said he believed in his testimony and the evidence he gave to the prosecutor. "Accountability is important," he said in a statement.
Shortly after issuing a statement, Donald Trump appealed to his supporters to provide money for legal defense. He has raised more than $2 million, according to his campaign, since he mispredicted on March 18 that he would be arrested four days later.
The judge will likely open the allegations in the coming days. Donald Trump had to go to Manhattan for fingerprinting and other proceedings at the time.
Meanwhile, Manhattan District Attorney's Office Bragg said it had contacted Trump's lawyers to coordinate the surrender, which a court official said was likely to take place on Tuesday.
Separately, Trump's lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said they would "with great enthusiasm against" the indictment.
Manhattan's investigation is one of several legal challenges Trump faces.
Bragg managed to sue Trump's business last year on charges of tax fraud, leading to a criminal sentence of $1.61 million.
The presiding judge in the case, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchant, is expected to oversee the case as well, according to someone familiar with the matter.
The allegations could undermine Trump's return as president, as any of his indictment photos and visuals of his appearance in the courtroom could fuel his competitors.
Meanwhile, Trump could use the case to spark anger among its core supporters, although other Republican voters may be bored with this drama.
Trump's allies and fellow Republicans have denounced the charges as politically motivated. The Democratic Party said Trump was not immune to legal rules.
Even potential competitors for the upcoming elections have voiced support for Trump. "This will only divide our country," Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, told CNN.
Meanwhile, the White House declined to comment on the charges against Trump.
In addition to this case, Trump faces two criminal investigations by a special adviser appointed by US Attorney General total Garland, as well as another criminal investigation by local prosecutors in Georgia.
Trump himself has repeatedly escaped legal issues. At the White House, he managed to get past two attempts by Congress to remove him from office, including the attack on the US Congress Building on January 6 by his supporters, as well as a years-long investigation into his campaign contacts with Russia in 2016.
In a tax fraud case last year, Bragg targeted Trump's business, but refused to charge Trump with financial crimes, prompting the two prosecutors handling the investigation to resign.
Meanwhile, in the case of silence money, legal experts say, Bragg may have to rely on an untested legal theory to state that Trump falsified business records to cover up other crimes, such as violating federal campaign financial laws.
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